Another project tied to the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's death is planned by a Quad Cities-area filmmaker and the Lincoln Monument Association, and it needs some help from the public.

Chris Ryder, a public television producer who also operates his own production company, has agreed with the association to do a comprehensive documentary about the Lincoln Tomb, copies of which will be sold by the association. The association will have rights to the video when it is completed next year.

The project will be funded through Indiegogo, a crowd-funding website. The project has a maximum budget of $50,000, although the documentary will be made regardless of the amount raised, Ryder said.

Contributions may be made at bit.ly/Abevideo. A short preview of the film also is available at the website.

The campaign, which started 10 days ago, ends Aug. 10.

The length and content of the video will be determined by the amount collected for various production tiers, said Ryder, who is aiming for a video of about 75 minutes.

“It will happen no matter what,” Ryder said. “Even at the basic level, it will be much better than what anybody anticipated.”

‘Really classy stuff'

Board member Mike Kienzler said the monument association is fully behind the project.

“The association is committed,” he said. “If we have to pay some of the production costs of the DVDs, we will. But we're expecting to make the goal.”

He said more than $2,000 has been raised so far, including donations made outside Indiegogo. The minimum production level is $15,000,

Kienzler said the association was attracted to Ryder's proposal “largely because of his track record.”

“He's done some really classy stuff in the past,” Kienzler said. “It's not Ken Burns, but it's comparable to his kind of stuff.

“He has a good sense of the history of the tomb and the way people think about Lincoln when they are at the tomb.”

Ryder's company, Autumn Leaf Productions, was established in 2005 in Le Claire, Iowa. His portfolio includes documentaries, local and national commercials, theatrical productions, live musical performances, music videos and televised productions.

He's done work for PBS, VERSUS, The Outdoor Channel, AOL StudioNow and various Quad Cities-area agencies.

Ryder also is the sound technician for another project in the works, a feature-length docu-drama on Harriet Beecher Stowe and the abolitionists called “Sons & Daughters of Thunder” for Lane Rebels Movies.

“His skill and the quality of his productions attracted me,” she said.

Page 2 of 2 - Monetary tiers

Ryder said he was sitting at home in Iowa watching YouTube and typed in “Lincoln Tomb.” What he saw was a 2005 video he called “fantastic” — but technologically dated.

The next day, he sent an email to the tomb website asking about the possibilities of making another documentary.

Association president Pam VanAlstine called and told him they had some money set aside to do something in conjunction with the funeral anniversary in 2015.

“The history was already done,” Ryder said. “It would have been doable with what they had, but we decided to look at the bigger picture.”

The association board voted in March to authorize the documentary.

“We thought Lincoln enthusiasts around the country would support the project, and we were adamant about keeping the price point low on offering gifts to the backers,” he said.

The Indiegogo site was chosen rather than the more familiar Kickstarter because Indiegogo “seemed more geared toward the arts” and would allow a flexible funding campaign, Ryder said.

“The Lincoln story has been said and done,” he said. “When the funeral train arrives in Springfield (May 3, 1865), our story begins.”

The film will include such things as the construction and reconstruction of the tomb, the attempted theft of Lincoln's body, the 14 times the body was moved and the low water table of the burial site, Ryder said.

“It will be a perfect balance of interviews, narration and musical interludes with cinematic touches,” he said, adding that the production will try to compete with the Smithsonian Channel “and how they do things, and the History Channel in how they used to do things before all their reality shows.”

Backers who contribute $25 will receive a DVD combo package with the DVD film and a bonus CD soundtrack. For $35, the package is upgraded to Blu-ray. Other price points include a donation copy to a library or organization of the backer's choice, a VIP premiere and wine reception, all the way up to receiving producer credit in the final credits.

Ryder said the elements of the production will increase as the various monetary tiers are met. If a goal of $20,000 to $30,000 is reached, the production will include 3-D renderings of the various stages of construction and reconstruction of the tomb and a visual representation of where Lincoln's coffin is in reference to the tomb.

Re-enactment scenes will be added if contributions surpass $30,000, he said.